Maybe Games
by TotallyStoned3
Summary: She can ruin him. Her manipulative games can ruin him. Her lies can ruin him. Even her love can ruin him. But he would allow it because there was no escaping her, and he didn't want to anyways. He loved being her pet, and she could step on him all she liked as long he got one loving stroke from his gorgeous Mistress. BDSM, HitsuKarin,AiKarin, AiKarinHitsu, AU, mild graphic content
1. The Name of the Game Part I

_AN: This little head bubble wouldn't go away so I'm writing it. This story is really dark, and is hardly you're everyday fluffy HitsuKarin. I'm taking a twisted turn on this couple and doing something no one has ever done before. There's mentions of yaoi in here and possibly a few scenes but the main focus of the story is HitsuKarin...and Aizen lol. I hope you enjoy!  
_

_Disclaimer: All things Bleach-related belongs to Tite Kubo...who should also end this stupid arc any day now._

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Maybe Games

"_She is playing a game that she doesn't want to play, but can't seem to quit. As a player she wishes to see how the game concludes, but she also wishes the other player would retreat. She wants to win after-all and she makes for a sore loser, but her combatant uses his moves to keep her off-guard and primed for his advance. Should she block him, outmaneuver him, or just play dead until his back is turned? Isn't the last the way of the female?'_—**Donna Lynn Hope**

**Chapter 1: The Name of the Game Part I  
**

**Atlantic Palms Apartments, 5:40 PM  
**_**North Charleston, South Carolina**_

He swore inside of a jail cell in Miami-Dade County that he would never fall in love again.

The veins to his heart were too vulnerable, too open and unguarded. Of course he didn't believe that the ultimate fissure of his whole heart was his entire fault. She was quite deceitful in her ways to make him believe their love was real, that the connection they had was not just a lie. At the cost of an assault and battery charge, Toshiro Hitsugaya gave into that one night of complete misery and anger. Although until this very day he still didn't quite remember all that happened. He just remembered the smell of blood, the cold metal of handcuffs, and staring the very source of his pain down as the cops drove him away. The faint smirk that graced her pretty face as he was hauled off to jail was all he could focus on while being processed through the system, taking his very own mugshot, and while he waited patiently to make a phone call. His first night in jail saw him emotionally rotting away in the corner of his cell. A few tears slipped from his amazing eyes, but there was mostly silent internal misery. Toshiro felt that on that very night each vein and artery in his heart severed one by one. Inside him he couldn't find any warmth that happy thoughts brought him. Instead his entire soul felt tepid, and each time the memory of _her_ conjured in his mind he felt himself become even more frigid and lost.

She ruined him. Manipulative games ruined him. Lies ruined him. However, above all else love ruined him, and from that day forth inside of a Miami jail cell Toshiro Hitsugaya swore off love.

At the end, he didn't call his mother for three days. In all actuality he never called her. She had sent out a missing person report a day after he was incarcerated, and the jail notified her of his current predicament. She bailed him out two days later, and was quite shocked to see the pitiful state her son was in. His usual bright beryl colored eyes were dull, and red from hours of silent tears, his once immaculate blonde spiked hair was in a chaotic situation of tangles and knots as if he hadn't brushed his hair in days. He lay slumped against the wall on his makeshift bed, almost seemingly surrounded by an intense air of distress and utter anguish. It consumed him, and swallowed him whole with no escape plan to follow. Toshiro didn't really explained much to his parents or friends, anything they know of the situation they knew through court trials.

The endless months of parole and social defection at school and home didn't register much in his mind. All he really knew was that his heart wasn't what it used to be. Any romantic encounters he had after _her _just weren't the same. There was no substance to any of them, and even at the height of his orgasm he still felt completely empty. She literally broke him in ways she probably wasn't even aware of, but then again the deceitful bitch might at least have a clue. At least he thought so. To say the least, life in Florida wasn't the same for the 18 year old. There wasn't anything for him there, and the chance of running into _her_ was high, and he didn't think he could do it. Not without being a heartbroken train wreck, yet again.

So he thought being a coward was better. Toshiro made the move to North Charleston, South Carolina upon his graduation. He was fortunately accepted into Charleston Southern University. The moment he graduated he left everything he had in Florida and didn't glance back. He did had the classical family "break-up" when his mother and father dropped him off at school, but as for most of his old friends he sent them a text goodbye and ignored any and all contact. He wanted to start anew.

Being in the Palmetto State sparked a change in him, one he wasn't afraid of embracing. He figured there wasn't much left for him as he was now. His once blonde hair became a silvery white with a long bang on his right side ending at his chin. The rest of his hair was spiked and silky; some females likened it to winter icicles. He had his right eyebrow pierced and he often sported barbells then hoops. There were two cartilage piercings on his right ear and three lobe piercings on his left. The tattoo of a fierce ice dragon wrapped around his left arm with the wings spreading on his back. He didn't socialize much unlike his younger days in Florida. At the most he insisted on talking to a total of three people. His only other form of human contact was banging college chicks in his apartment. The empty feeling never left Toshiro, but a man did have needs so he continued nonetheless. The three people he talked to were in happy relationships and they often wondered why he never dated anyone. He would tell them he was waiting for the one, but he knew that deep down he couldn't love or trust anyone anymore.

Too many what-ifs sprouted in his mind. For instance, what if he met a girl that was just like _her_? The type of girl that feigns innocence until she had him right where she wanted him. The type of girl that trick him at the deepest moment just to knife him down. Although, even if he didn't meet a girl like _her_ he figured the females in this state weren't all that amazing. A lot of them were on either polar sides of being extremely whorish or being extremely reserve (with undercover whorish tendencies). No particular girl stood out from the other, with a few exceptions but even those anomalies weren't enough to quell the desolation within him. Sex was still inherently meaningless to him now, and he didn't think it was ever going to change.

That was until a warm evening in October brought to his doorstep an answered forgotten prayer.

Now 20 and a sophomore at CSU, Toshiro resided in a rather quaint private apartment community made for college kids like him. Atlantic Palms Apartments was just a few minutes from his university, and had a nice pool with basketball hoops, a grill, flat screen TV, corn hole, gym, movie theater, and tennis and beach volleyball court. Whenever students weren't studying a whole congregation of college kids could be seen out by the pool area. Toshiro's apartment had a nice view of the pool, equipped with a balcony which he stood upon. Dressed in white swim shorts and a shark tooth necklace over his exposed tan chest, Toshiro sipped the bottle of Budweiser before gazing out at the bustling activity beneath him. He had contemplated on if he wanted to go down to the pool for a swim, but with all the people down there he didn't really feel up to it. A sudden slap to his back sent a jolt through Toshiro, but the honey laughter behind him calmed him a bit. He turned to look at his tenacious roommate who also held a Budweiser bottle in his ring clad hand. The spiky safety cone orange hair often found him the butt of most jokes, but one look at the slick tawny irises often set in a piercing glare stopped most people in their tracks. And if that wasn't enough, a few good right hooks from his killer sinewy tan arms did the job. Ichigo Kurosaki was his roommate of over 6 months, and one of the three people Toshiro actually talks to. They weren't the "best of buddies", but their friendship was civil and held an equal amount of respect. Toshiro admired Ichigo's persistence to never give up on anything like schoolwork, jobs, relationships or even Call of Duty. On the other hand Ichigo liked the rather tactical sober nature of Toshiro, and many of times Toshiro found himself a personal shrink for Kurosaki. The two of them resided peacefully in the living quarters, with the occasional wild kickbacks once in a while.

"Are you going to stare all day or are you going down there? The pool won't just suddenly move to you." Toshiro snorted at the snide remark of Ichigo's before knocking back another swig of beer.

"With all those people packed in there I doubt the pool could move at all." He replied while taking one last glance at the outing before retreating into their two bedroom apartment. He swiped his iPhone off of the glass end table before falling back onto the black leather couch.

"Another day, another night without possibly getting my balls sucked. Isn't life grand?" His remarked made Ichigo laugh even more before he sat on a rather plump red bean bag with bottle in hand.

"I don't know Tosh. There's more to life than getting your balls sucked. Say for instance, actually getting mouth in general?"

"Ugh. The last two girls that gave me mouth left teeth marks, or at least I think so because I surely feel it!" Toshiro wasn't kidding. If he lifted the underside he could reveal two tiny teeth marks on his shaft. He didn't know why some girls found him to be a chew toy. It irritated him actually because the subtle pain of scraping canines reminded him all too much of past best buried.

"Heh, two weeks later and you're still bitchin'! I'm pretty sure the marks are gone by now."

"It doesn't matter. Point is there shouldn't have been any marks at all." The nonchalant shrug was all the response he got from Ichigo who continued to drink his beer while checking his phone. He didn't think Ichigo would understand. He had told his roommate a plethora of information on his once shady past, but not the darkest secrets contained in the mouth of his hidden skeletons. Pain used to be a great part of Toshiro's romantic life, but the kind of pain he voluntarily went for used to dominate him. Eventually it got in the way of his life and upon his relocation to sunny South Carolina he disengaged himself from the dark corners of his desires.

"Whatever you say man life moves on, and so does your dick apparently! I'm startin' to think I should soundproof my walls."

"I should soundproof mine! You're the one actually getting laid every day. I don't even have one girlfriend, yet you have two girlfriends and a boyfriend! Not to mention you recycle them every day, and you even have a pattern in how you recycle them!"

"Recycle is a bad word, and very offensive," Ichigo proclaimed, while taking another sip of beer. "I don't recycle them. I schedule them how I see fit, and I give each person their own personal day based on my mood. Rukia on Mondays and Wednesdays, Inoue on Tuesdays and Sundays, and then my Grimm Kitty Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays! Sundays is a free for all. First to call gets it all."

Toshiro couldn't help but roll his eyes at his senseless roommate. "You have no sense."

"And you're a lonely man, Tosh." And that he was, but he laughed it off before finishing his Budweiser. After all, laughing was better than realizing and accepting the truth. Ultimately instead of going to the pool like he was thinking about, he ended up playing Call of Duty: Ghosts with Ichigo even hours after the sun set. They had ordered a stuff crust pizza from Dominos for dinner since none of them really had any exemplary cooking skills. It was only 45 minutes after they ordered did a resounding knock reaerated throughout their apartment. Right in the middle of attaining a kill shot, Ichigo glared hotly at the door before nudging Toshiro in his arm causing him to get killed in the process.

"Answer the door."

"I have no choice now considering you just caused me to get knifed!" Ignoring his asshole roommate's laughter, the 5"6 man stood up to his full height and stretched before answering the door upon the insistent knocking.

What awaited him took the breath out of his lungs as if the air suddenly got heavier and started crushing him.

He loved girls with dark hair, and this woman before him had lots of it. Two long obsidian bangs framed her heart shape faced in slick tendrils that past her chin, while the rest of her smooth hair fell down her back and ended midway. Her eyes were reminiscent of Ichigo's interestingly enough, but her stare was intensive, so intense and piercing that it unnerved him and placated him at the same. All his life he heard plenty of comments on his exotic beryl irises, and while green eyes were highly praised he thought gray eyes were magnificent in their own dark yet light shade. Her cloudy irises gleamed right at him, and her intense stare amplified her lead colored eyes that seemed to switch to black without lighting. She had long eyelashes that make his eyes flutter, and at 5'2 she had a rather well built physique with a decent bosom and strong, long toned legs. She seemed rather ordinary to the general population, but to Toshiro she was just the type of small, dark, and beautiful that he craves.

Her very presence commanded his unending attention, and he wasn't sure why. She seemed like the epitome of women who got what they wanted no matter the consequences. Those types of women tended to step on everybody to fulfill some driving ambition that borderline nefarious. Those type of women set up unsuspecting men for failure. That type of women put him jail, so he was quite sure he wasn't going down that road, no matter how delicious she looked.

Yet Toshiro couldn't look away. He stared at her for a moment, a bit mesmerized and overwhelmed, but he regained his composure a moment later.

"Can I help you?" Small, pouty red lips smirked in amusement before she shifted her eyes from the tips of his toes to the ends of his hair. She tilted her head a bit to the side in apparent wonder before stepping even closer to Toshiro. He backed away a second later, quite enamored but slightly weary of this woman's intention. She laughed as he took a step back before finally opening her mouth to reveal a chocolaty smooth voice.

"You could help me, but I doubt you could handle such a task. I am simply here for my brother whose bright ass head I can clearly see behind you." Befuddlement came to Toshiro at her response, but his inquiry would have to wait as Ichigo came up behind and smirked at his younger sister.

"Well well well. I take it you're "bored" again, Karin." The ebony girl named Karin shifted against the frame of the door, before pushing her way passed both men to sprawl out on the previously occupied love seat. She removed her white jacket, leaving her in nothing but black jeans shorts, a red kami, and red/white Authentic Low Pro Vans.

"You can say that. My _muse_ has been far from entertaining lately. Seem as if it's all stressed out. So I came here for a reprieve to you know, kick back and vacate a little." Ichigo took his seat right next to his sister while Toshiro leaned against the bar of the kitchen, trying to seemingly get away from Karin's rather domineering aura. Ichigo sported a serious expression on his face, with worry evident in his eyes.

"Well if anything is wrong you can let me know." Karin nodded but otherwise didn't elaborate on any problems. She seemed intrigued and curious, and Toshiro wasn't too sure if she was subtlety glancing at him from the corner of her eyes. His eyes might be playing tricks on him. Ichigo sighed at his sister's inept emotional structure before looking at her again.

"You know the rules. Otherwise that you can stay here, I can't keep losing friends over this."

"Don't worry. I think I found a solution." Toshiro was not sure what the Kurosaki siblings were talking about. It sounded serious, and Ichigo really seemed distressed at the prospect of losing yet another bond, but somehow he had a foreboding feeling about their situation. Every time those gray eyes looked at him his danger meter went up. He almost felt intimidated by the small girl, especially when she looked at him when she said she found a solution. The stare was steely, hard, yet fiery and light and bright with mirth. It was almost as if….she found a new shiny toy.

Suddenly, Toshiro felt like he was caught in a game he wasn't even asked to play.


	2. The Name of the Game Part II

_Author's Note: It's here! Sorry for the wait. I went to Myrtle Beach, SC not too long ago and got all sorts of inspiration. This chapter might be kinda slow but I'm building up to the main plot and mystery slowly to get a feel for it and for you guys to understand the characters a little better._

_Also follow me on Pinterest: TotallyStoned, for my Maybe Games board so you can see all outfits, accessories, jewelry, houses, locations, and props first hand! Now onto Chapter 2! _

_Also before this come up, don't expect Aizen too soon. He'll come but first HitsuKarin must be developed, and that will take some time. Also this is a 15 chapter story. Depending on how successful this is by chapter 5 I'll let you know if a sequel or prequel will be in the works. Now enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I NEVER own anything Bleach-related. I wish though. I wish._

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Maybe Games

"_We are all searching for someone whose demons play well with ours." _–**Anonymous **

**Chapter 2: The Name of the Game Part 2**

**Atlantic Palms Apartments, 11:27 PM  
**_North Charleston, South Carolina_

"Another solution?" Ichigo couldn't help but hold his head in his hands as he scoffed at the proclamation.

"What happened to the last solution? Or the one before that? Or even the one before that?! All these solutions, and yet your problem still persists." He could feel the rigid icy glare his younger sister was subjecting him to. If he were anyone else, he probably would have cowered under the menacing stare, but he knew her for too long. Living under the same roof as Karin made him quite used to her resentful ways, and no matter what changes Karin went through he still saw her as the adorable soccer-loving fourteen year old. There were times Ichigo wish he could vent to his colleagues, but quite honestly no one could truly understand the troubles he goes through with Karin.

Ever since his start at Charleston Southern University a year ago, Ichigo had a total of 4 roommate transfers. For a while he couldn't understand why his first two roommates, Uryu Ishida and Renji Abarai, slowly withdrew from him in a series of rather odd behaviors before switching dormitories entirely. The same situation happened again with his third roommate, Izuru Kira, and upon his departure Ichigo was starting to wonder if there was something possibly wrong with him. However, he knew he wasn't crazy or malicious to his roommates. He always made an effort to solidify a respectable friendship with his housemates, but they switched over anyways, sometimes without warning. He never figured out what the problem was, until he caught his fourth roommate, Hisagi Shuuhei with Karin in Hisagi's room. The image of the revelation still burned deep within is mind, and ever since then he's been a little weary of his sister, but more so concerned for her well-being. Karin, to say the least, was perturbed in a way that was astoundingly alarming.

When he moved in with Toshiro back in April, he had dreaded when this day would come. He couldn't very well say no to his baby sister, because despite her many faults and nefarious ways she was deeply scarred and he promised himself two years ago that he would always look after her. That didn't stop him from fearing for his roommate's safety. Whether he knew it or not he was already targeted if Ichigo judged correctly from Karin's adamant stare. Toshiro was a really cool guy, and he really didn't want to see him in the same position as his last four friends. Ichigo didn't think he could handle another broken look or another suicide attempt.

"Well I'm sorry that my last four solutions were weak and unmalleable." Ichigo couldn't help but glare at Karin's disparaging remark regarding his friends. A smirk formed on her pretty face in response to further annoy her brother. After all, she couldn't help it if his friendships were languorous. None of it was really her fault. Ichigo scoffed at his sister's indifference before standing up to his full height of 5'11.

"You're not going to get to me this time. You're staying in my room, and there will be no complaints because you're not sleeping anywhere else." He grabbed Karin's forearm before pulling her up to stand then began dragging her down the hallway to his room. A resounding giggle came from Karin's lips.

"Ahhh but why? And aren't you going to introduce me to your new roommate?" Gray eyes lazily navigated over to her object of current curiosity. If it were anybody else she would have thought the white hair would've looked absurd, and she would have laughed heavily at their epic failure. However, he made it work with the spikey hair that looked as soft as snow, and fell a bit over pretty beryl eyes. Pretty indeed, and most men hated that euphemism, but to Karin he was pretty. Pretty like porcelain china that she could toss and toss in the air until she either caught it or let it break. If she decided to let it break she would not do it in her usual way of breaking. No, this guy she could tell was different, and she didn't know exactly what it was that made him disparate, but she really wanted to find out while every hair on her arms was standing at attention. Excitement coursed through her veins, and it made Karin giddy for she hadn't felt this type of excitement in a long while.

Toshiro was trying his hardest not to flinch under her intimidating stare. He didn't particularly like the way she was staring at him. He felt scrutinized and paranoid by her stare; it was almost as if she found a brand new toy to play with. Yet beneath that stare was a twinkle similar to that of someone who found a diamond in the rough. It was kind of disconcerting.

He visibly relaxed the moment the two Kurosakis were out of sight. He was very unaware of how tense he really was until he felt all his muscles relax. That girl literally put him on edge as he pushed himself off the kitchen bar and retreated to his own room. Toshiro found it strange that Ichigo didn't really bother to introduce him to his younger sister. He wasn't quite sure how the orangenette felt as he seemed relieved and quite weary of his sister's appearance. The atmosphere between the two was nothing short of strained and uncouth, and it baffled the white haired male to end. To his knowledge he figured that was just how sibling relationships worked since he was an only child and didn't have much sibling like bonds with any friends or relatives. Then again, it wasn't really his business. As long as nothing anarchic happened he didn't really care for the sudden living arrangement. Stifling a yawn, he lay back on his all white comforter and lazily looked out his window to the dark skies above.

Oddly enough, the many values of gray swirled within clouds and stars reminded him of her piercing eyes. Fear is what he should feel the moment he stares deep into the gray abysses. The never-ending depths wanted to pull him in and swallow him whole as he freefall into nothing.

Yet, he figured it wouldn't seem so bad to fall into nullity. Immediately following that train of thought, he reprimanded himself for being so morbid.

After all he already had fell into the dark corners of forever going nothing. He didn't think he could survive a second time.

* * *

_His arms were on fire. The cramps were starting to set in, but he knew if he complained he was in for another punishment. He would often reflect on his life to escape the current painful predicament, often wonder how he ended up in this position._

_A reverse prayer position is what __**she**__ told him it was called. His arms were bound behind his toned back with his hands meeting between his shoulders and his hands extended with his palms touching each other. His wrists were bound by very bright candy cane striped ropes that held the rest of his limbs together. __**She **__had him on his knees which were stained with his previous orgasms, and his amazing eyes blindfolded with satin cloth. It was dark to him, quite dark but the lack of site heightened all of his other neglected senses._

_The compelling aroma of peach and vanilla wafted through his nose hairs as __**she**__ circled around in slow, sensual strides. The rhythmic clacking of her heels resounded in his ears and the savory bitter taste of his Goddess was still swollen deeply within his taste buds. As __**she**__ circled around him __**she**__ traced the smooth rounded edge of her specially made cane across his back leaving a trail of goosebumps across his delicate and red skin. __**She **__was the huntress, fierce, cold, and calculating always thinking of the most opportune time to strike. __**She**__ knew he was expecting it so __**she**__ settled for gentle caresses and traveling kisses over his abdomen and his shoulders. _

_However it wouldn't last. It never does, because __**she**__ could not be gentle. Not for long periods of time at least. His suffering, his screams of agony turned her on more than any secret tryst they ever had at last minute notice. The swelling and bruising of his skin gave her visual pleasure and sometime __**she**__ would like to play connect the dots on the many bruises and scratches __**she**__ gave him. It made her undeniably wet to see him in the state of distress, soreness, and ultimately arousal, because while his pain got her off it was her getting off on his misery that gave him complete satisfaction. It was a way of viewing his role of control in their relationship. Without his reactions and willingness __**she **__could never reach completion so in the end her orgasm was still entirely up to him. At least, he liked to think so._

_After all there was no control for him, and he knew it, but part of him actually enjoyed it. He enjoyed the helpless state where fate and decisions were not up to him, because Toshiro, although never admitted, enjoyed not having control for at least one day. His overly controlling nature was sometimes unbearable because he couldn't really trust anyone with any tasks he knew he could handle himself. This would lead to an overload of work and an overload of stress. It was here, all bounded in ropes and blinded, that he could truly let himself go and enjoy the ride._

_That was why he agreed to this arrangement between them. There were days where he did regret signing in blue ink his basic rights away, but it was moments like this where he realized why he did it. He needed it, craved it like his lungs craved crisp air, and also he loved her. He loved her with his whole heart so much so that there was no such thing as hard limits when it came to them. The heart wants what the heart wants, but in the end it would get him killed._

_**SHWACK!**_

_A gasp escaped between his lips as he was struck on the back. Immediately following that hit was an angry red mark that would probably later bruise. It hurt. It hurt like a thousand needles sank deeper into his cornea and was slowly rotating into the affliction until the tender sharp needles poked his frontal lobe. Tears stung the edges of his eyes, but as a man he couldn't let them fall, and crying only induced another punishment. Another hit landed on his back then another on his right side causing him to fall to the floor, unable to catch himself because his hands were incapacitated. His cheek collided with the cold rough hardwood floor, and he had no doubt his cheek would be red for a while._

_Slender fingers slinked through his soft blonde tresses before he was yanked up by his hair with a tight grip. He could feel a few strands of hair being ripped out, but he didn't care so long as his Goddess was satisfied._

"_Tell me, Shiro. Do you wanna play a game?" Her sweet voice filled his ears as her grip remained tight on his hair. Saying no was not an option._

"_Yes ma'am. Whatever you wish." A giggle filled his ears before soft lips met his. The kiss was chaste before __**she**__ released her grip on him, causing him to fall back on his face onto the floor. __**She**__ traced the cane along his sore back once more before walking away briefly._

"_Well Shiro what is your first thought when you feel this?" A cold metal object was pressed to the back on his head. He wasn't quite sure what the mysterious object was. It felt heavy, even for her, but holdable and cold as ice. _

"_I'm not sure ma'am. Is it a pipe of sorts?" What was once an innocent giggle turned into a maniacal laugh. This left him even more confused as __**she**__ rarely laughed this way. His only experiences with this pitch were not good experiences, and more often than not a few bruises were the least of his worries. _

"_Haha, you're so funny it's too adorable! But wrong guess! Maybe this might help?" Then his heart dropped at the sound that reverberated next. Cocked and loaded. The spin of the barrel haunted him, and for once fear actually struck his heart. He was hailed as a genius, but even a person with an IQ of 58 could identify the weapon currently laid against his head. __**She**__ pressed it even tighter to the back of his head._

"_What about now?" He couldn't say anything. He was torn between disbelief and fear. He was in disbelief that __**she**__ would even pull a gun out on him and he feared that __**she**__ would pull the trigger. And if that was the case then __**she**__ didn't love him like he thought __**she**__ did, and that scared him more than dying._

"_Should I pull it?" Seconds passed and he still couldn't say a word.__** She**__ pressed it deeper into his temple, and then gave him a quick kiss._

"_Bye-bye my sweet angel."_

* * *

A night terror of that proportion would cause the average man to wake screaming fear. However, Toshiro was not an average man by any means. Upon his awakening he opened his eyes suddenly, but did not scream or cry out. Silent tears leaked from the corner of his eyes instead, and he swiftly brushed them away with his thumb before sitting up on his bed.

He hadn't had that particular dream in a while, and even after all this time it still ended on ambiguous terms. The sound of the shot was prevalent, and he wasn't sure why. The night terror was simply nothing more than a suppressed memory. She never shot the gun; he should know because he was still alive to contemplate this memory. He couldn't explain in terms the plethora of emotions he went through that day, and truth be told he couldn't really understand why his mind tortures his slumber with this insistent drivel. That day she didn't shoot him; she wouldn't have. The scent of his fear was all she needed to pleasure herself, and he would have been no use to her bounded and dead on her floor. Although, he really wasn't much use to her free and alive apparently.

The realization left a bit of bite to his heart, but it only lasted for a second. Years of separation and suppression taught him to be an expert at tossing out pain. He swore to himself he wouldn't feel that way ever again even if it was the last thing he did. Toshiro possibly couldn't expect to piece himself back to together if he kept breaking himself over just mere memories of a time better left buried.

"I really wish this would stop, but I guess even that's too much to ask of her." Toshiro scoffed, before getting up and stretching then made his way to the kitchen. A glass of cold water should do him good. As he took out the pitcher of filtered water, he went to close the refrigerator door and filled his cup with water. As he took a sip, Toshiro involuntarily let a cold shiver run through him. He wasn't quite sure where all this anxiety came from, but it was almost unnerving. He guessed he could attest it to the night terror, but he was so used to its occurrence that he really couldn't say he was all that affected by it. Whatever the case, Toshiro felt that going out on a night drive would do him some good to unwind.

He donned a black pullover and gray cargo shorts along with his gray/white VLADO Atlas II's before silently closing the front door behind him. He locked it then descended down the staircase in leisure. The wind was chilled, but not enough to become freezing. It rustled his white tendrils, and he inhaled a deep breath to savor the freshness of the outdoors and bitter smell of chlorine from the residential pool. Silently, he approached his car, an all-white 2014 Scion FR-S, but within the darkness he could make out a rather feminine figure sitting on top of a rather impressive looking Lexus, at least he believed so. The closer he got the more details became vivid. Long dark locks fell over a white racer back tank and were partly covered by a red beanie with a white "K" initialed in the middle. As his eyes scanned further down he could see a peek of toned abdomen between where the beginning of her Polo Ralph Lauren boy shorts began and where her tank ended. A diamond belly button piercing could vaguely be seen. Her elongated legs were covered by grey sweats and red Nikes. Grey eyes noted his presence and squinted a little in concentration before a low laugh sounded from between red lips. Toshiro, who was quite unaware he was moving closer to her, stopped right before the girl who he instantly recognized as Karin Kurosaki.

"Can't sleep either?" She said sultrily as leaned further back on her car. He wasn't quite sure what to make of this girl. A large part of him was weary of her, but such distrust was a bit unwarranted. Her insistent gazes were a bit weird, but he couldn't understand why that would put him on edge for some reason. Although she seemed predatorial, she was still a bit intriguing. After all, she was his type of pretty, and he couldn't possibly call himself a man if he denied a pretty lady at least one civil conversation.

"You can say that." He said in his rugged voice. Karin twirled her car keys on her ring clad index finger, and smiled a little at his response. Her smile tugged at something blocked within him for a fleeting moment. It was quick; coming and going, but he was certain it was there for a second.

"What are you doing out here? I thought Ichigo told you leaving were impermissible?" Toshiro inquired.

"He said I couldn't sleep anywhere but his room, not that I couldn't leave. I'm an adult now, he can't tell me what curfew to have, or who to date, or any fucking thing actually." Karin quipped back condescendingly. Her cynical answer made him chuckle a little, as he saw a little of himself inside of her. He didn't like being told what to do either, unless a contract was involved.

"He's probably just looking out for you." Karin narrowed her eyes a little at his remark.

"Maybe, but the sooner he realizes he can't fix everything, the sooner he could truly help." Toshiro wasn't quite sure what to say that, seeing as it seemingly got a bit personal for Karin. He didn't want to cross the boundaries into personal drama land, so he was just going to let this conversation go.

"Why are you aren't here anyways?" He asked again, seeing how she didn't answer him the first time.

"Persistent aren't you? If you really must know," She got off her car to stand on the sidewalk beside him, "I was thinking of going out for a drive. Maybe hit up Mount Pleasant and walk the shores of Isle of Palms, you know to get some fresh air and to contemplate." She gazed at him with her pretty eyes, and the scent of oranges and ocean breeze wafted past his nostrils making his nerves go slightly haywire.

"That sounds good actually. I was thinking of going for a drive myself, but I had no real destination in mind." It honestly did sound good. He hadn't been to the beach since August, and with moderate temperatures and a full moon the beach was bound to be beautiful.

"Well then why don't you ride along with me?" Karin held up her car keys with her index finger, and smirked in anticipation. Her sudden giddiness caused him to smirk, and despite the warnings going off within his mind, he ignored them for the greater feeling surrounding his heart and stomach.

"Sure. Only if you promise not to be a rapist."

"Since when can woman rape men?! And why would you think I'm a rapist? Does my face scream rapist to you?" He laughed a little at her remark before settling her down with his response.

"Women can rape men. It happens, but I was honestly messing with you. But can you blame me? You stare at me like I'm some Grade A sirloin steak you can't wait to chew on." She smirked before flipping one side of her hair over her shoulders.

"Maybe I just see something I like on your face. It isn't too implausible. But then again, maybe I see something I like inside here." She placed the tips of her fingers on the middle of his chest. The action confused Toshiro, but before he could respond she pulled back then walked to the driver's side of the red and white gold Lexus LF-LS.

"Enough talk though. We can talk on the way there." She pressed the automatic button on her car keys to open both suicide doors. "But first, you have to tell me your name." He was still planted on the sidewalk, but even without consultation his feet moved of its own accord before stopping at the passenger side.

"Toshiro. Toshiro Hitsugaya." He said without a second thought, before climbing into the sleek beige matte interior. Karin saddled in with him in the driver's seat and closed both doors before putting her key in the ignition. She looked at him with a smile.

"Well Toshiro, it's nice to meet you. You should buckle up cause this is going to be a very fast ride." With that line, the engine came life with a soft purr and she gave him one last smile before pulling out the parking space.


End file.
